Paint Over Electroless Nickel

[jkdmag]

Planning to electroless nickel plate the inside surface of an aluminum tube. Want to paint the outside surface. Apparently more economical to plate the complete tube than mask to outer surface. This raises the question, can electroless nickel be painted and if so which paint types will adhere best.

 

[TomDOT]

Can you just paint the outside before nickel plating? You should be able to find a system which will act as a mask, and survive the electroplating process.

Of course, I would try it on a test piece or two first before committing to the process.

 

[TVP]

You don't want to paint over electroless nickel. It will be difficult to obtain good adhesion.

 

[Baileyy]

I painted over electroless nickel. I thought it couldn't be too bad. Thought wrong, it was. I don't recommend doing this.